Temple bustles with Pongal preparations

KUCHING: Preparations for the Pongal festival at the Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple, located at Jalan Ban Hock here, have proceeded smoothly.

A check by New Sarawak Tribune revealed that cleaning work was underway in the temple area for today’s prayer ceremony (Jan 15).

Pongal is celebrated on the first day of the ‘Thai’ month according to the Hindu calendar, which typically falls on either Jan 14 or 15 every year.

This year, Thai Pongal falls on Jan 15. The Pongal festival, which signifies the harvest festival, is widely celebrated by farmers, and the newly harvested rice will be used for the Pongal ceremony held at sunrise.

Hindu Temple Association Kuching president V Sahundararaju said that one of the activities to welcome Pongal involves cleaning homes and oneself, conducted one day before the Thai month begins. This symbolises the removal of ‘negative elements’.

“On the first day of Pongal, we prepare a sweet rice dish for worship ceremonies dedicated to the Sun God.

“We will also conduct a special prayer ceremony today (Jan 15), starting from as early as 7 am until the evening. Considering it is not a public holiday and falls on a working day, we still hope that many from the Indian community will come together at the temple,” he said when met yesterday (Jan 14).

(from left) Temple’s representative, Marimuthu, Sahundararaju and Phuspharajan when met at the Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple.

The entrance of the Sri Srinivasagar Kaliamman Temple.

The sweet rice is cooked with milk in a clay pot, around which family members usually gather to watch it boil and overflow. The ‘overflow’ symbolises wealth, success, and blessings from God.

The celebration of Pongal is a gesture of gratitude towards life and nature, which provide sustenance in daily living.

Pongal is also the second-largest celebration after Deepavali, dedicated to one of the five Pancha Bhoota (physical elements) in Hinduism.

Furthermore, the five Pancha Bhoota in Sanskrit are Prithvi (earth), Apas (water), Agni (fire), Vayu (air), and Akasha (sky).

Traditionally, the Pongal celebration is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya), synonymous with the element of fire, as a gesture of thanks for a bountiful harvest and to commemorate the first harvest offering to the Sun God.